Barista Guild Asia (Malaysia) was founded on the vision to inspire and empower both coffee consumers and coffee professionals. We endeavor to provide the most comprehensive and in-depth coffee training in the industry and deliver world-class solutions through coffee education.

Our courses and programs for Coffee Professionals and Baristas are based on the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe Coffee Diploma System. The education system is aimed to meet the needs of coffee professionals everywhere. It is a controlled and certified system with a curriculum written and updated by the best minds in the coffee industry. Our Professional SCAE Barista Level Foundation, Intermediate & Professional Certifications are based on both technical/theory knowledge and practical examinations.

The Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) is the world’s leading professional organization promoting excellence in quality coffee, drawing together professionals from all aspects of the coffee industry.

Central to the SCAE’s purpose is to improve coffee standards through furthering knowledge and education. With this aim, the Coffee Diploma System (CDS) was created. The CDS contains 6 modules, each module containing 3 levels. The modules are made out of Introduction to Coffee, Green Coffee, Sensory Skills, Roasting, Grinding & Brewing and Barista Skills.

Barista Guild Asia is Malaysia's leading independent coffee academy dedicated and committed to the growth and development of the industry, coffee professionals and empowerment of consumers.

Our mission is dedicated to provide education to enable consumers o make well informed coffee decisions, to provide wide and in-depth knowledge, training and support for professional development, and to provide support and training crucial to entrepreneur's growth in the coffee industry.

Welcome to Barista Guild Asia ~ your Coffee Education Specialist

BGA Coffee Educators & Trainers

DAVID LEONG WENG WAI | Director

David began his illustrious coffee career in Starbucks where he found his passion for coffee there and the joy of connecting with people. Having competed professionally as a Barista, David placed 2nd runner up at the First Battle of Barista in Malaysia.

He learns to lead and manage a team as a Shift Supervisor in his career in Starbucks. He also had a short stint at Espressamente Illy where he got much more exposure. David later moved on to hone his Barista skills in Coffee Ritual as a Senior Barista and Trainer. He has also been a guest Barista at a top café in China that serves nothing less than Cup of Excellence Coffee and where he learnt the finer art of Coffee brewing pushing himself to the limit and is now known in the industry as one of the top skilled Baristas this country has to offer.

His philosophy in coffee is “Connecting with People through coffee.” He is known for his gentle and humble kindness towards his clients and friends.

Daniel Liew, Academic Director of Barista Guild Asia began his coffee journey in 2011, currently he is one of the few globally certified Authorized Specialty Coffee Association of Europe Trainer (AST) and Certifier. He also holds professional certifications from Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and Barista Guild of America. In addition to his qualifications, Daniel has certifications from Barista Guild of America, Specialty Coffee Association of American, L'Università del caffè (Illy’s Coffee University), and TAFE Australia.

As the founder of Barista Guild Asia, he leads a team of 4 other certified ASTs. Since the inception of BGA, he and his team have organized and judged many championships, namely the two Malaysia Barista Championships, Malaysia Brewers Cup, Malaysian Aeropress Championships, chartered the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA) and successfully obtained international sanction for Malaysia to participate in the World Championships. BGA has trained over 500 certified Baristas and many cafés in Malaysia. Recently Daniel obtained Q Grader license with Mr Ted Lingle, the Founder of the Q program.

Daniel has been featured on BFM, Capital FM, Bernama TV, Star Newspaper, Nourish Magazine, Flavours Magazine and other news media on his contributions in the Malaysia’s coffee industry. In his other professional capacity, he is also a seasoned Speaking Professional, Trainer and HR Consultant and Managing Director of Direct Results Asia Pacific Consultancy Sdn Bhd.

Hock Soon stumbled upon coffee in 2010. After graduating from high school, he realized he needs to find a path and goals in life. An opportunity sprung when a friend started two farms in West Java & Central Aceh, Indonesia. Inspired by the discipline of farmers at the source, Coffee is the new found goal.

Having competed professionally as a Barista, Hock Soon was a finalist at the Battle of Barista 2012 in Malaysia. This was where he met Daniel Liew and interned with Barista Guild Asia for 6 months. Upon completion of his internship, he then moved on to lead and managed a team as Lead Barista in Epiphany Coffee & Tobacco. Thereafter, he contributed more as the opening team at Whimsical Gelateria & Caffe, where he was an Operations Manager.

Eventually, Hock Soon returned to Barista Guild Asia as a trainer. He believes, ”Practice makes consistency, and every once in a while we need to brush our window to let new light come in”.

The curiosity in search of good quality coffee has led him to enroll in the SCAE Barista Skills Level 1 in 2013 at Barista Guild Asia. Having strong background in science and working experience in corporate, with his belief, “To teach is to learn twice (Joseph Joubert)”, he joined the BGA team in year 2015. Same as the team member, Afiq worked as a barista, gained experience behind the coffee bar and polished his operational skills.

The experience has offered him a wide perspective from the point of view of acustomer to the person behind the bar. Afiq was a sensory judge for Malaysia Brewers Cup 2016 and visual judge for Malaysia Latte Art Championship 2016. He has been featured on Wanita Hari Ini, Malaysia Hari Ini and Berita Harian, to share the knowledge of coffee.

Jonathan’s love affair with coffee began in 1997, in a New Zealand café, where he worked as a part-time barista whilst studying for his degree in Pharmacology. Coffee, however, was left in the sidelines after he graduated and returned to Malaysia. He went through a number of positions in various industries working first as a Professional Sales Representative for a pharmaceutical company, then as a Marketing Executive for a Danish food ingredients manufacturing giant, where he stayed for almost 10 years. His focus during his tenure there was on health and nutrition where he dealt with industrial technical marketing. He moved on up as a Marketing Manager, dealing with OEM industrial safety gloves before capping his corporate career as a General Manager in F&B and Accommodations.

Having retired from the corporate sector, Jonathan rekindled his liaison d’amour, starting Woosh
Coffee with his wife, where their aim is not only to provide quality coffee but also to share the world of coffee with consumers in the hopes of growing the coffee culture in Penang and Malaysia. He learnt very quickly that he did not have the necessary tools to share much about coffee and with that realisation, enrolled in Barista Guild Asia to broaden his coffee horizons. He was subsequently invited to join the BGA team as a manager and trainer for the Penang region.

David Teh Chee Seng, started his career in the coffee industry in the year 2013. He has earned the SCAE (Specialty Coffee Association Europe) certification for foundation and intermediate level, and during his journey in the coffee industry David had also facilitated a Junior Barista Coffee Training for teenagers. He tenured at Pickle and Fig for three years as a supervisor and a barista, and currently is the Operations Executive and assists with the coffee education training at Barista Guild Asia.

Qualification
 SCAE Barista Skills (Level Foundation & Intermediate)

NORMA NOORDIN | Trainer

Norma started with Barista Guild Asia as their student in 2015. Her journey into the coffee industry started when she tenured at a branding agency as a social media content developer and stumbled upon a client who required more than just web and social media content development, they needed a cafe.

Her learning with BGA did not stop at certification in barista skills and coffee knowledge. She went on to establish operational competency and barista training for the members of the cafe. A BSc Medical Bioscience graduate from Monash University (Malaysia), Norma has vast experience in the investigation and research industry where she had experience working as a chemist, a microbiologist, and a forensic scientist. An experienced corporate research consultant as well as a marine surveyor, Norma has helped many organisations in cases of fraud, theft of intellectual property, insurance fraud, survey of counterfeit brands and other investigative tasks.

Awarded the King's Scout Award in 2002, she is a Sea Scout Master and a Woodbadge holder and leads a team of dedicated adult scout masters to run a Sea Scout troop known as the 7th Fort Sea Scouts of Malacca. Norma is Barista Guild Asia's Head of Administration and Operations.

The distinction of having completed Barista Skills Level Foundation & Intermediate confirms that the Barista has a competency in basic coffee knowledge and Barista skills. He/ She will understand the key determining factors to the processes of grinding, brewing and presentation of coffee. He/she will be a competent partner for fundamental questions regarding the coffee quality. He/she will understand how to brew basic coffee drinks on a manual, semi-automatic machine or implement appropriate settings on a fully-automatic coffee machine.

• The Barista knows the origin of the coffee plant and its way into Europe• The Barista knows the characteristics of the coffee tree• The Barista knows the characteristics of the coffee cherry• The Barista knows the two most popular coffee types botanically and knows their differences in aroma and taste as well as the caffeine content• The Barista knows the most important producing countries and their geographic locations• The Barista knows the influential factors of coffee in producing coffee• The Barista would be able to understand the key differences between Arabica and Robusta Beans• The Barista would be able to understand how to maintain fresh beans and proper storage to minimize deterioration• The Barista would be able to understand the basic differences between blends and single origins.• The Barista would be able to understand the basic different species and sub-varieties and its impact on flavors.• The Barista will be able to understand different processing methods and degassing periods of fresh coffee.• The Barista would be able to understand the importance of maintaining a hygienic and organized workspace.• Analysis of key equipment’s needed for a complete workspace and how to maximize speed and efficiency.• The Barista would be able to analyze best layout for a proper workspace.• The Barista would be able to identify the parts of the main parts of the grinder.• The Barista will be able to understand how dosage affects shot times.• Demonstration of good dosing techniques and calibration.• The Barista will be able to understand how to evenly distribute the dose in preparation to tamping.• The Barista will be able to understand how to tamp properly.• The Barista will be able to understand how increasing and decreasing dose affects body and flavor.• The Barista will be able to understand how to make micro-adjustments to the grinder.• The Barista will be able to understand the basic parts of an espresso machine.• The Barista will be able to understand the steps to preparing an espresso.• The Barista will be able to understand the basic sensory qualities of an under-extracted, over-extract shot and a good espresso.• The Barista would be able to understand the importance of freshness of milk and why it is important to use milk hygienically.• The Barista will be able to understand the techniques required to produce correct milk-textures.• The Barista will be able to understand correct milk temperatures and the pouring techniques to producing Cappuccinos and Lattes.• The Barista will be able to tell how different milk will produce foam differently.• The Barista will be able to learn how to ‘free pour’ a simple latte art pattern consistently.• The Barista will be able to learn the techniques of serving a range of espresso-based coffee.• The Barista knows which chinaware is suitable for which coffee• The Barista will be able to understand the basic foundation to safety and hygiene when using espresso machines and cleaning chemicals.• The Barista will be able to understand the steps to maintaining a clean workstation when preparing and serving espresso beverages.• The Barista will be able to understand the dangers of cross-contamination in an espresso workspace.• The Barista will be able to understand the proper techniques to cleaning the espresso machine and grinder.• The Barista will be able to understand the results of a badly maintained espresso machine and how to avoid and solve them.• The Barista will be able to understand the key problems of the grinder and who to refer these problems to.• The Barista will be able to understand the importance maintaining high standards of personal hygiene.• The Barista will be able to understand what is good communication skills and the definition of good customer service.• The Barista will be able to demonstrate a high standard of customer service when greeting customers and taking orders.• The Barista will be able to understand the cost involved in prepping and serving espresso beverages in a café setting. ... See MoreSee Less

The distinction of having completed Barista Skills Level Foundation & Intermediate confirms that the Barista has a competency in basic coffee knowledge and Barista skills. He/ She will understand the key determining factors to the processes of grinding, brewing and presentation of coffee. He/she will be a competent partner for fundamental questions regarding the coffee quality. He/she will understand how to brew basic coffee drinks on a manual, semi-automatic machine or implement appropriate settings on a fully-automatic coffee machine.

• The Barista knows the origin of the coffee plant and its way into Europe• The Barista knows the characteristics of the coffee tree• The Barista knows the characteristics of the coffee cherry• The Barista knows the two most popular coffee types botanically and knows their differences in aroma and taste as well as the caffeine content• The Barista knows the most important producing countries and their geographic locations• The Barista knows the influential factors of coffee in producing coffee• The Barista would be able to understand the key differences between Arabica and Robusta Beans• The Barista would be able to understand how to maintain fresh beans and proper storage to minimize deterioration• The Barista would be able to understand the basic differences between blends and single origins.• The Barista would be able to understand the basic different species and sub-varieties and its impact on flavors.• The Barista will be able to understand different processing methods and degassing periods of fresh coffee.• The Barista would be able to understand the importance of maintaining a hygienic and organized workspace.• Analysis of key equipment’s needed for a complete workspace and how to maximize speed and efficiency.• The Barista would be able to analyze best layout for a proper workspace.• The Barista would be able to identify the parts of the main parts of the grinder.• The Barista will be able to understand how dosage affects shot times.• Demonstration of good dosing techniques and calibration.• The Barista will be able to understand how to evenly distribute the dose in preparation to tamping.• The Barista will be able to understand how to tamp properly.• The Barista will be able to understand how increasing and decreasing dose affects body and flavor.• The Barista will be able to understand how to make micro-adjustments to the grinder.• The Barista will be able to understand the basic parts of an espresso machine.• The Barista will be able to understand the steps to preparing an espresso.• The Barista will be able to understand the basic sensory qualities of an under-extracted, over-extract shot and a good espresso.• The Barista would be able to understand the importance of freshness of milk and why it is important to use milk hygienically.• The Barista will be able to understand the techniques required to produce correct milk-textures.• The Barista will be able to understand correct milk temperatures and the pouring techniques to producing Cappuccinos and Lattes.• The Barista will be able to tell how different milk will produce foam differently.• The Barista will be able to learn how to ‘free pour’ a simple latte art pattern consistently.• The Barista will be able to learn the techniques of serving a range of espresso-based coffee.• The Barista knows which chinaware is suitable for which coffee• The Barista will be able to understand the basic foundation to safety and hygiene when using espresso machines and cleaning chemicals.• The Barista will be able to understand the steps to maintaining a clean workstation when preparing and serving espresso beverages.• The Barista will be able to understand the dangers of cross-contamination in an espresso workspace.• The Barista will be able to understand the proper techniques to cleaning the espresso machine and grinder.• The Barista will be able to understand the results of a badly maintained espresso machine and how to avoid and solve them.• The Barista will be able to understand the key problems of the grinder and who to refer these problems to.• The Barista will be able to understand the importance maintaining high standards of personal hygiene.• The Barista will be able to understand what is good communication skills and the definition of good customer service.• The Barista will be able to demonstrate a high standard of customer service when greeting customers and taking orders.• The Barista will be able to understand the cost involved in prepping and serving espresso beverages in a café setting. ... See MoreSee Less

Are you just a coffee lover or truly a coffee connoisseur? Do you know what it takes to make a great cup of coffee and what it takes to brew a perfect cup? Kickstart your brewing journey with our complimentary Brew Starter kit/ Brewing equidment.Here’s your opportunity to turn your love for coffee into passion and learn how to speak like a true coffee aficionado.

Participants will learn a range of coffee brewing methods, from French Press, Clever Dripper, V60, Chemex, and the Siphon.Learn the essential elements of quality; focused brewing practices and explore key brewing concepts in depth.

This is a Learning Workshop and Skill Based Development. Come and join us for a great time.

Dear participants do note that your seat will be confirmed upon making payment. ... See MoreSee Less

Cupping coffee is probably one of the many essential skill anyone whether a coffee buyer, barista, roaster or even a consumer can develop within the coffee industry. The foundation of cupping was developed by green bean coffee buyer for the purpose providing a consistent methodology for evaluating a coffee’s quality before determining a price on the shipment. This method requires cuppers to use a strict set of tasting protocols to assess quality.

The practice, however, is relatively subjective and subject to the likes and dislikes of potential consumers and buyers, but it is nonetheless the de facto practice when discussing coffee quality and taste.

Barista Guild Asia is proud to present to you our Coffee Cupping Series Workshop held twice weekly that is opened to Everyone!

Every workshop will feature new learning objectives such as • Differences based on Coffee Varietals• Roasting Profile and Cup Quality• Regional differences in Coffee – South America, Central, East Africa, South East Asia, Far East and others• Cupping Protocol and Process• Learning to spot defects in coffee• Coffee Processing methods and taste profiles• Comparisons and Contrasts on : Acidity, Body, Sweetness, Clarity and more• Every week will be a different learning objectiveAll these amazing coffees will are sponsored by local Roasters and Distributors.

Each class will leave you with new learning and insights into coffee! Come join us weekly every Monday and Saturday Mornings at Barista Guild Asia!

Every Saturday/Monday: 1030am – 1230pm (Maximum 20 people only)Note: Before attending the cupping session, we would like to request that you• Do not wear any scent/perfume/body spray• Please do not take anything spicy or strong flavored for breakfast• Do have a light breakfast to activate your palate• Come early to ensure you do not miss out